Subscribe to Search results

The "Guidelines for the Blood Transfusion Services in the United Kingdom 1989" was published.

Published on:

In a meeting, regional transfusion directors heard that much of the donor screening process was conducted by clerical officers and donor attendants. No discussions were held on proposed revisions to the AIDS leaflets.

Published on:

The National Blood Transfusion Service form for blood donors was revised, listing a number of conditions including jaundice. There was no mention of hepatitis.

Published on:

National Blood Transfusion Service guidance for the selection of donors required donors to declare a list of conditions including jaundice and hepatitis.

Published on:

The regional transfusion directors revised the donor selection criteria to allow individuals who had a history of jaundice or hepatitis to be accepted as donors as long as they had not suffered from jaundice or hepatitis in the previous 12 months; or had not been in close contact with hepatitis or received a transfusion of blood or blood products in the previous six months and that their blood tested negative for the presence of HBsAg.

Published on:

Dr Jean Harrison, in an article in The Lancet, wrote that medical experts were concerned about whether nurses could be trained to select suitable volunteers as blood donors, and were anxious about whether nurses could suitably counsel donors and answer their questions about AIDS. It was feared that those in AIDS risk groups might be allowed to give blood as a result.

Published on:

The Northern Regional Transfusion Centre identified unsuitable donations through the use of "illness sheets", which recorded donors' recent illnesses and medications. These illness sheets would be associated with the donation number and accompanied the blood to the blood components section.

Published on:

The Northern Regional Transfusion Centre had a policy "not to take donations of blood or plasma from donors unless at the time of collection, it is believed that the donation is suitable for use."

Published on:

Donor staff in South East Scotland were advised not to make donors aware of any concerns about possible infection.

Published on:

South East Scotland abandoned the practice of taking potentially infected donations and marking them for review without telling the donor.

Published on:

The director of the North London Blood Transfusion Centre wrote to colleagues anticipating that a pamphlet on AIDS would soon be available, but that in the meantime "there must be no questioning of donors about their private lives".

Published on:

The North West and North East Thames Regional Transfusion Centres had agreed that if donors past retirement age had given blood at least four times in the previous five years, including once in the previous twelve months, they could continue to give blood for up to five more years.

Published on:

England and Wales adopted the policy of allowing donors past retirement age to continue to give blood for up to five more years if they had given blood at least four times in the previous five years, including once in the previous twelve months.

Published on:

In a regional transfusion directors meeting, Dr Harold Gunson commented that the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service were looking at the possibility of recruiting donors from the age of 17.

Published on:

At a meeting of regional transfusion service donor organisers and donor services managers, Mairi Thornton described the Scottish experience of lowering the donor age limit as an unqualified success.

Published on:

The National Management Committee decided that a minimum interval of 12 weeks between donations for male donors would be accepted as a national standard.

Published on:

The National Blood Transfusion Service began debarring donors who were suspected of or admitted to illicit drug-taking.

Published on:

National Blood Transfusion Service guidance stated that individuals with a history of jaundice or hepatitis may be accepted as donors, in contrast with recommendations from the International Society of Blood Transfusion and the American Red Cross.

Published on:

Dr William Maycock wrote to regional transfusion directors recommending that the blood service should begin excluding "at once" any donor who had a history of jaundice.

Published on:

Regional transfusion directors accepted Dr William Maycock's recommendation to exclude donors with a history of jaundice.

Published on: